CJW-Food Colors

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What is color additive?
-- any dye, pigment or substance which when added or applied to food, drug or cosmetic or to human body is capable of imparting color.

Functions of food colors
  • Encourage acceptance by offsetting color loss caused by exposure to light, extremes temperature and/ or moisture
  • correcting natural color variation
  • Enhancing naturally weak colors
  • Providing a colorful identity to products
  • Supply a fun look to kid-oriented beverage and candies.

2 types of color
Natural colours-- do not require certification

Advantages:
  • Oil soluble
  • can provide transparent color to liquid, oil-based products
  • Nutraceutical value e.g carotenoids and anthocyanins recognised for antioxidants

Disadvantages
  • Stability-- sensitive to light and heat exposure, limited pH range
  • Available colors-- not available in blue or green
  • Concentration-- need higher levels compared to the artificial
  • Objectionable off flavor and off odors
  • Cost-- high

Turmeric--
  • cultivated widely in tropical countries
  • main colouring pigment is curcumin- good heat and acid stability but sensitive to light
  • lemon yellow color
  • used: curry, bakery products

Paprika--
  • grown in central Europe, USA, Asia and Africa
  • main coloring pigment: capsanthin, capsorubin and beta carotene
  • Orange red color
  • used: meats, souups, sauces and snacks
  • fairly stable to heat and light

Anthocyanins--
  • Source: grapes and blackcurrant
  • pH dependent coloring agent
  • red at low pH to brownish green at high pH
  • Used: beverages, sugar confectionary, fruit prepartions
  • fairly stable to heat and light.

Annatto--
  • Oldest colorants for food, cosmetics & textiles
  • Yellow to red color
  • used extensively in dairy due to it water solubility
  • Advantage: strong anti oxidative property
  • Somewhat unstable to light and oxigen

Synthetic colours-- require certification
-- man-made & have been assigned an FD&C number(indicates that they are approved by FDA for coloring)
-- tend to be more economical (smaller quantity is required); easily produce uniform, intense colors; stand up to heat, light, pH and other factors; and do not add off-flavors
-- e.g. FD&C Blue No1 and 2, Red No40, Green No3, Yellow No 5 and 6, orange B, Citrus No 2

-- certified colors
water-soluble dyes-- dissolve in water
lakes-- water soluble FD&C combine with an insoluble material/substrate
lake impart color by dispersing into the medium

Application
Chewing gum for lakes
  • dispersing the lake into the gum matrix provides homogenous coloration, despite limited amounts of water that would hinder color development of a dye
  • during chewing, color remains locked inside the gum matrix instead of leaching out into saliva
  • Lakes are useful in products containing fats and oils. e.g. chocolate, compound coating, icing and cookie filling
Colored noodle products
  • water-soluble dyes may provide excellent coloration to pasta in a package
  • but it will leach out during boiling, result in faded noodle on the plate.